Ski Resort
by harrys-sexy-strut
Summary: This summer, prepare for secret agents, forbidden love, and evil villains. An epic collaberation between x-blackmeadow-x and myself! Nothing will prepare you for this mission. Review!
1. Prologue

**Ski Resort**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Night World (even though I honestly want to)….**

**Cesca (x-blackmeadow-x): Eve (BookVampire) and I are working together for this story! Isn't it exciting? Yeah, I know right! LOLOLOL. ;D Too much LOL's. Anyways, we'll just talk more down there v.v Unless Eve wants to add some more on this note…**

**Eve: I do have more to add! ^^ Thanks Cesca! Well what I wanted to say is I hope you like this story! :D**

**Another note: This story is ALL HUMAN. If anyone asks, Imma cut a bitch. (Love, Eve.)**

* * *

><p>Prologue<p>

. . .

Mary-Lynnette grabbed her dark blue duffel bag from the slightly polished floor of the airport entrance and exit door.

"Mare!" Hannah, her best friend, called. "The bus is already here, you've got to hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Mary-Lynnette murmured before jogging towards Hannah. They exited the huge airport using the automatic, sliding, glass double doors.

"What took you so long?" Hannah asked, concern all over her face. "I had to stall the driver and all that stuff," she waved her hands frantically. They passed lots of people with tons of luggage and bags. They're at an _airport_, after all.

"Dad wouldn't let go of me and he had to remind all of the rules and all that," Mary-Lynnette explained, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder.

"Ah…" Hannah nodded her head in understanding as Hannah steered her to the blue and white colored bus. "I thought I'd never find you there in the airport!"

"Well, you found me—so no biggie," Mary-Lynnette laughed while zipping up her thick, light blue coat. It was freezing.

Hannah nodded. She guided Mary-Lynnette on to the bus and into their seats. Her eyes glinted with excitement. "Anyway, enough of that, I haven't seen you in _days_!"

"That's because you came here earlier than me," Mary-Lynnette laughed, putting her bags above them. "You came here as soon as you and your family finished your mini hiking trip, remember?"

"Yeah—and I've been lonely when I came here. I had no one to talk to!" Hannah exclaimed playfully. "But at least my BFF is here _now_!"

"True, true," Mary-Lynnette smiled as she sat down beside Hannah. She leaned on the dark green leather seat. "How was the first two days here?"

"Three words; cold, boring, and lonely," Hannah explained while lifting up three fingers. "How were your 'without-Hannah' days?"

"Awful," Mary-Lynnette said. " Dad is hardly home—and so is Mark! He's out for, like, 19/7!"

"19/7?" Hannah laughed, also leaning back on the seat.

"Yeah, nineteen hours every day in the week," Mary-Lynnette said as she nodded her head.

"How would _you_ know if he goes out nineteen hours a day?" Hannah asked. "Are you stalking your own brother?"

"Hannah," Mary-Lynnette laughed. "Mark and I live in the same household. How do you call that stalking?"

"You're avoiding question," Hannah pointed out.

Mary-Lynnette cursed. "Why do you know me _so_ well?"

"Because we're best friends."

"Hannah… that was a rhetorical question." Mary-Lynnette explained gently, like she was explaining to a kid Santa Claus didn't exist.

"Well it didn't seem rhetorical to me," Hannah grinned.

Mary-Lynnette laughed and rolled her eyes. "How long is the bus ride to the ski resort?"

Hannah shrugged. "Like 45 minutes. It was horrible riding there all alone." She sighed theatrically. "With no one to talk to but my imaginary Mare. Who is so much better than the real one."

Mary-Lynnette laughed and playfully smacked Hannah's arm. "You are so cruel to me. This is a serious injustice to your best friend."

"A serious injustice?" Hannah repeated, laughing. "You're the one who left me all alone for two days."

"I tried to come earlier." Mary-Lynnette grumbled dejectedly. "But my parents already had tickets to come up here as well. They bought them ages ago before Mom died. But they and Mark were going to the other ski resort. I almost had to sell my soul to convince them to let me stay with you."

"Aw, well I'm glad you didn't have to sell your soul for me." Hannah hugged Mare; glad she was _finally_ with her best friend.

"Maybe not, but I didn't have to sell my sanity." Mary-Lynnette joked.

"Well you never had that anyway!"

After their laughter died down, Hannah asked gently, "How was the funeral?"

Mary-Lynnette sighed. "Horrible."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I'm really going to miss your mom. She was like my second mom." Hannah frowned.

"I know. Well now your mom gets to be my mom, so I'll spending a lot more time at your house from now on." Mary-Lynnette joked, but Hannah knew Mare was really upset about her mom's death. Who wouldn't be?

Mary-Lynnette pulled out her iPod and gave Hannah the left earphone. "I got some great new songs the other day. You have to watch this new Katy Perry video too."

* * *

><p>Rashel looked out of the window. The engine of the private jet hummed smoothly as they flew through the air. She sighed and leaned back on her comfy seat, imagining herself back in Russia. Back when her life was normal… It still was—if you count out the part where she's a secret agent working for the FBI. Oh, and the part where she has these cool martial moves and skills that you only see in movies.<p>

Yeah. Her life was pretty normal.

Not.

She was born American—but not born _in_ America. She was born in Russia, but on American soil—and had spent most of her childhood and some of her teenage years there. Which is why she has this slight Russian accent that would come out here and there. You could say that it's part of her.

Quinn leaned forward and snapped his fingers in front of Rashel's face. Rashel scowled.

"What do you want?"

"Your attention, maybe?" Quinn asked as he crossed his arms. He was sitting beside her. Again.

"Too bad, I'm busy," Rashel said while looking out of the window again.

"Busy doing what?" Quinn asked, smirking.

"Looking out of the window and thinking of ways to kill you," Rashel retorted, glaring through the window and at the wonderful blue sky.

"You can't kill me," Quinn said, putting his chin on his hand as he rested his elbow on _her_ armrest.

"I can," Rashel murmured. She wanted to add 'Watch me' but that would be _too_ far. Plus, Thierry—their boss—would fire her, in return.

Quinn smirked, as if to say 'We'll see'. "How come you dislike me so much anyway?"

Rashel shrugged, not answering his question. Quinn seemed to let this go and slinked back to his chair, deciding that Rashel wasn't in the mood. Not that she ever was.

Ash turned as Quinn sat back down beside him. He snickered. "I see you got rejected. Again."

"Not rejected. She just hates me," Quinn said with a shrug. He glanced back at Rashel on the other side of the jet. "She's a challenge, you know."

"Because she doesn't kiss your feet like those other ex-girlfriends of yours?" Ash asked sarcastically.

Quinn frowned. "They don't kiss my feet. They kiss my face. And something else," he added with a smirk.

"Alright—I definitely did _not_ want to know about your private doings," Ash said while making a face. "Quinn, we're friends and all—but you've got to learn when and where to stop talking about relationships. _Your_ relationships, to be exact."

Quinn chuckled and leaned back on the seat. "Whatever."

Ash smirked a little and rested his head on the headrest, crossing his arms.

Thierry cleared his throat, waiting for all the eyes of his agents to focus on him. The big, black screen behind him suddenly came to life with pictures…of Hunter Redfern. All of his agents tensed and glared at the screen. Some eyeing the screen with bitterness, some eyeing it with total distaste, and some eyeing it neutrally.

"Seems familiar?" Thierry asked, watching his agents nod once. He glanced back at Hunter's picture (Hunter with two girls in his arms, smiling mischievously in a suit and tie) before glancing back at his agents. "Yes, he's Hunter Redfern. Care to tell me more about him?" Thierry asked, looking at each and every one of his agents' faces.

"He's the mastermind of illegal drug trades in the whole world," James said, still glaring at the screen.

"Stole money from banks," Quinn said, monotonously.

"An annoying little a-hole," Ash answered.

"Not necessary, but we all know that," Thierry said with an amused smirk.

Quinn snickered beside Ash as the ash-blonde agent smiled mischievously.

"Molests girls…?" Galen spoke up, although he sounded a bit uncertain. "Rapes them…?"

"Some, yes," Thierry said as the screen changed into a different scene. He looked at them. "Anything else?"

"He has his own security—ones he hired to protect him since he's rich enough to pay them and turn them into his minions," Delos said.

"All of what you said is true. Which is why we should all be careful when approaching this dangerous—"

"— Bastard," Ash finished for Thierry.

Thierry simply rolled his eyes. "Yes, bastard. Anyways, here," he said as the screen changed into another picture, "is the blueprint of the ski resort."

"Obviously," Quinn muttered under his breath.

"And, here," Thierry said while pointing to some rooms, ignoring Quinn, "are where _we're_ staying. From our research, Hunter owns a cabin in the woods near the ski resort," Thierry explained as the blue print on the screen slid out of their sight, a forest just a few hundred feet from the ski resort and mountains being zoomed in on the screen. "I guarantee that the forest is surrounded by his men—and his cabin is deep inside the forest."

"So we _have_ to find his cabin?" James asked, noticing his boss's sentence.

"Unfortunately, we have to—need to—find his cabin," Thierry said while repressing a sigh.

"This isn't starting too well," Delos murmured thoughtfully.

"So this better end well," Thierry said, looking at Delos first and then at everyone. "This is definitely one of the most challenging missions—with very little information about our victims. We have to do research as well as do the _actual_ thing of locating Mr. Hunter Redfern. Therefore, there should _not_ be any time to waste because he could leave his cabin today or tomorrow or at _any_ time he pleases. Understand?"

The agents (Ash, Delos, Galen, James, Quinn, and Rashel) were feeling very nervous and excited as their hearts pumped faster with anticipation. They nodded stiffly. This is definitely a dangerous mission.

But why were there only _six_ of them? _Seven_ if you counted Thierry with them.

Galen felt the need to ask. And he did. "Why are there only seven of us if we're going on a dangerous mission such as this? Why not bring other people?"

"The more, the merrier, after all," Ash murmured sarcastically.

Thierry gave them a ghost of a smile. "You six are the most outstanding individuals I've worked with these past years and since you all haven't worked _together_ in a group-,"

"That's because we've never been assigned in the same group," Quinn interrupted amusedly. Ash smirked and nodded. The others didn't say it, but they agreed in their minds.

"—I decided," Thierry paused, shooting Ash and Quinn warning glances, "that since this is one of the most riskiest and hardest missions; I took out the most outstanding agents from the other missions and placed you all here."

"Too bad I couldn't go to Peru with the other agents. Hunting down some assh—a-hole," Ash said with a fake, dramatic sigh.

Thierry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and simply gave them a charming smile. "Well, if we finish this mission early, we could stay at the ski resort."

"What's fun about ski resorts?" Quinn asked aloud. "No gorgeous bodies to look at," he added the other one silently to Ash—who snickered in reply.

"Tan, gorgeous bodies and lots of skin," Ash murmured back, thinking longingly of Peru.

"Besides, skiing—oh I don't know," Rashel muttered scornfully, glaring in Quinn's direction as she daydreamed of punching him in the face for interrupting their boss _so_ many times. Delaying the peacetime she has in this jet before they set out to start their mission.

Thierry rubbed his forehead in frustration. Sure, they were the best of the best agents…but when it comes to attitude… goodness, it makes him reconsider his decisions.

"We've all got to work together," he told them, "which means that we _need_ to work on our attitudes against one another. This is practically _the_ mission of our lifetime. There will probably be more in the future, but right now, this is _the_ mission. So if you guys," he pointedly looked at Quinn and Ash, "screw up by getting distracted and being useless—well, guess what. _You're out_."

"So does that mean women are out?" Quinn whispered. Ash sniggered. Yeah, like that'll happen. Staying away from a women- easy. Women staying away from them- unheard of.

"So what do we do when we _do_ find Hunter?" James asked, using 'when' instead of 'if'. A pretty optimistic thing to do.

"We arrest him and call for backup to come pick him up. Send him to jail and keep him there for the rest of his life," Thierry answered. "_They_ were the ones who asked us to do this for them. It's only reasonable that they should deal with him once our job is done."

"But what if he gets loose?" Delos asked, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"He won't. We'll most likely give him a good beating before handing him to the cops. That man doesn't go back down without a fight. I mean it," Thierry said. "During our stay there, our meetings will be held in different, _private_ areas—as to not make people suspicious.

"Landing in three minutes, folks," the jet's speakers said from above them.

The big screen automatically turned off as Thierry crossed his arms and eyed his six agents firmly. "No time to waste," he repeated. "As soon as we get off this jet, we go to our assigned rooms, got it? After that," he paused and looked at them again, trying to get his point across that this mission is _very_ important, "our mission officially begins."

The atmosphere was so tense, someone could cut it with a knife.

To ease the tension, and because he was really curious, Quinn asked, "Will we have code names?"

"If we do, I call Farquar!" Ash yelled and, exactly like he planned, everyone on the plane laughed.

"No, we will not have code names." Thierry smiled a forced smile.

"Please fasten your seatbelts, we are about to land." The pilot announced.

Thierry quickly took a seat and the earlier amusement was gone.

Their dicey mission is about to begin.

* * *

><p>Maggie entered her room—the room that she's sharing with her friend Poppy—with a sigh and plopped down on her bed.<p>

"I'm tired," Maggie whined to Poppy, her voice partly muffled by the pillow her head was in.

Poppy, with her coppery curls, looked up from the dark green, carpeted floor (she was reading the latest _Cosmo_ magazine) and raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just go to sleep?"

"I don't know. I have a feeling that…" Maggie trailed off and shook her head, her curly auburn hair swaying at her movement. "I don't know," she repeated.

"I know the feeling," Poppy said, catching on what Maggie was trying to say. "Like something's going to happen…" she murmured and shook her head as well. "Oh well. Whatever happens happens right?"

"Yeah, I guess. As long as it's not bad…then I'm fine with it," Maggie said with a sigh as she stared at the big, white ceiling. "This is a pretty place," she commented.

"Mhm," Poppy answered from the floor. "Expensive, but totally worth the summer."

"Totally. I mean, it was so hot back home," Maggie said. "Here it's _freezing_."

Poppy giggled, loudly flipping a page. "What do you expect? It's a _ski_ resort," she said—attempting to be sarcastic. "Have you tried skiing yet?"

" No," Maggie replied. "I wanted you to come with me but _no_. You wanted to stay here and read a bunch of magazines. And listen to," Maggie paused to listen to Poppy's music, "what are you even listening to?"

"Techno music," Poppy answered cheerfully. "It's very good, you know."

"Oh, I feel bad for whoever you're going to marry," Maggie joked.

"I'm planning to find true love here," Poppy said, "and I'm pretty sure they'd accept me for who I am. And what music I listen, too. If fate loves me enough, maybe they'd give me a soulmate who likes this kind of music, too," she said amusedly.

"It's too good to be true," Maggie laughed. "A big J-K there. You know I'd support you, no matter what."

"You're too loyal to be true," Poppy joked, laughing.

"I want to go to sleep." Maggie said, but it sounded like an open sentence.

"But…" Poppy added.

"I'm too tired to get up." Maggie finished and attempted to heave herself off the bed.

Poppy laughed at her friend's feeble attempts. "Let me help." Poppy place her Cosmo face down on the floor and walked over to Maggie's bed.

"Can you take my shoes off?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"Ugh, fine. But if your feet stink, I'm going to kill you." Poppy laughed and pulled off Maggie' left boot. "Oh, God EW! Maggie how can you sweat so much if its below freezing?" Poppy squealed and hastily pulled off Maggie's other boot and ran to the connecting bathroom to wash her hands.

"You're such a pansy, Poppy!" Maggie called and unzipped her heavy jacket and managed to pull it off of herself, despite her body feeling like lead.

"Whatever." Poppy laughed, coming back in the room. "Are you good?"

"Yeah." Maggie laughed. But her expression sobered quickly.

"What's up?" Poppy asked, noticing the change immediately.

"I just keep thinking that something _big _is going to happen. Something _huge_. Like we'll never be the same ever again."

"Don't be overdramatic." Poppy chided. Which was an extremely ironic thing for her to say. Inside, Poppy was getting nervous. Her stomach clenched in something like anticipation. She knew exactly what Maggie was talking about.

"Let's just hope it's a pair of hot guys and not some horrible, cliché story." Poppy said and changed into her pajamas and crawled into be with her Cosmo.

"I hope he has black hair." Maggie yawned.

"I like brown hair more." Poppy turned off the lights.

"A strange eye color." Maggie said.

"I've always wanted to see silver guys."

Maggie laughed quietly. "You mean silver _eyes_?"

"That's what I said." Poppy murmured stubbornly.

"Goodnight, Poppy." Maggie chuckled.

"Goodnight, Maggie."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure no one knows I'm here?"<p>

"Yes, sir. We are certain that the FBI has no intelligence of your whereabouts."

"And the CIA?"

"The CIA has no matters in your case, sir."

"Excellent. So what would you think about skiing tomorrow?"

"As long as you keep your mask on at all times sir. You are a very wanted man."

"I will, I will. Now leave me be as I laugh at Thierry Descoudres."

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, Thierry my old enemy. You are fighting a lost cause. You will never find me. And I will destroy everyone you love."

"Sir, if you are done mocking your enemies to yourself, you have a call waiting on line one."

"Who is it?"

"Your old associate."

"Wonderful." Hunter Redfern's lips curved into a hungry smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Eve: There you have it for the first chapter! [: I hope you liked it! Once again, they are ALL HUMAN!<strong>

**Cesca: OMFG. We had so much fun writing this… LOL. So I hope you all had fun reading the prologue! xD**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please review!**

**BookVampire- Eve**

**YES! Review please (lol, I just switched the words around)!**

**x-blackmeadow-x : Cesca**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ski Resort**

**Cesca: WE ARE BACK WITH MORE! *Evil laughs* Thank you guys for the reviews! Eve and I totally appreciate it ^_^ you wanna say something, Eve? Hmm? *Raises eyebrow* Hehe. x) *Crow appears out of nowhere* D-D-DAMON? *Looks at crow* Eve, slap me now before I run after that imposter-crow…**

**Eve: *Slaps Cesca* It's and imposter Cesca! It's not the real thing! Well yes it is, but it's not Damon!**

**And thank you to everyone who reviewed! :D or favored or subscribed!**

* * *

><p>Chapter One<p>

. . .

"This is _ridiculous_," Ash muttered as he slammed the dark brown mahogany door. He turned to Quinn, his _roommate_. "I can't believe _Rashel_is the only one with a room all for herself."

"I agree," Quinn said as he sighed. He was lying on his bed, with his arms and legs spread apart like a starfish. "I was hoping to be _her_ roommate. Not yours."

"And _I_ was hoping to have a room for myself. Not sharing with you—or anybody for that matter." Ash rubbed his head with one hand as he kicked his bags to his side of the room.

"But I guess it was reasonable to put a girl by herself. Thierry's sharing a room with Galen, you know. And Rashel's the only girl in our group, so it _is_ pretty reasonable to let her have her own room."

Ash grumbled and heavily dropped on his bed, burying his face in his soft, white pillow. They're risking their lives because his, James, and Delos's mad great-grand uncle is on the loose—and yet they don't get their own rooms. How sweet.

"Stop complaining," Quinn said, sitting up and stretching. "Come on, we're meeting Thierry and the others down at the lobby."

Ash repressed a groan as he pushed himself off the bed. "What? We don't even get five minutes to settle in?"

"Hey, I'd love to lay around in the room and leave the door open to watch the chicks walk by, but we do need to get started on this mission ASAP."

"Since when did you become all professional?" Ash asked as he followed Quinn out of the door.

"This is just my agent mode. It's instinctive. One of my many modes actually. Not all of us are forever programmed on _lazy_ you know?"

"No," Ash scoffed sarcastically. "I was too _lazy_ to ever figure that out."

"Hey, don't bite my head off because—"

"Because I've got a laid back attitude?"

"Laid back?" Quinn repeated incredulously and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what, I'm not going to argue with you now."

"Good." Ash pushed past Quinn to take the lead. "Because you'd loose."

"_Redfern_!" Quinn growled.

* * *

><p>Jez nudged Morgead. He grunted. She nudged him again. He grunted. That was the funny thing about man-speak. She couldn't tell if he was asking her to stop, warning her to stop, or telling her he needed to piss.<p>

They were currently lounging down at the lobby with no apparent reason— in shorter words, loitering. They were sitting on the comfy sofas—they refused to call it loveseats—when they saw _them_. Well, when _Jez_ saw them.

"What?" Morgead asked, looking up from the Motorcycle Consumer News issue he was reading.

"It's my cousin." She pointed to the guy with ash-blonde hair. "Ash. Remember him?"

Morgead snorted. "How can I not? I thought I was the only one to piss you off. But I guess I'm wrong."

Jez ignored his comment. She squinted. "Hmm. Who are those guys with him?"

"How should I know? I'm not related to him." Morgead lazily flipped the page in his magazine. "Aww yeah. Look at that amazing build. Oh, yeah. That is gorgeous. I'd love to ride that."

"And _I'm_ not close to him." Jez pushed her fiery red hair out of her face. "Come on. Let's surprise him. And would you STOP making love to that damn magazine?"

"Why surprise? Why not _ambush_?" Morgead asked sarcastically, ignoring the comment about making love to the magazine.

Jez rolled her bluish silver eyes. "I'd say because there are _people_ around to witness our ambush attack. Reasonable enough?"

Morgead rolled his green eyes and stared back at the group. Odd. One girl and the rest are guys. "Do you at least know why he's here?"

"Don't know," Jez answered thoughtfully as she pushed a fashion magazine she didn't really read off her lap, standing up. "But I'm about to find out."

Morgead sighed and leaned back on the couch, watching Jez carefully. She glanced back at him, mischievously. "What?" he asked for the second time in five minutes.

"You're coming with me. What else?" Jez asked sardonically.

"Why can't I just sit back and watch the show?"

"Because you'd be tempted to go with me while I talk to them in hushed tones—figuring out what the hell Ash is doing here," Jez answered. Morgead gritted his teeth, knowing that she was right.

And he hates it when she proves him wrong. He _hates_ it so much. And she _always_ seemed to prove him wrong that bitch.

Jez smiled triumphantly and flipped her red hair over her shoulder. "Come on."

* * *

><p>Rashel glanced around the room, looking around for Hunter, <em>if<em> he was still here. The walls of the lobby were decorated by wooden patterns—making it appear as if they were inside a cabin. Wooden beams supporting the high ceilings decorated the ceiling. It made sense that the ski resort would have that lush, comfy cabin feel to it.

The plush armchairs and sofas were neatly scattered in the waiting area—or lounging area—and there were small coffee table here and there.

As Rashel scanned the crowd looking for any sign of red or that they were being watched, a red head did appear in her vision. A red haired girl trailed by a dark haired male was walking towards them.

"Guys," Rashel said over her shoulder, her tone suggesting they be on high alert.

Six pairs of eyes looked at her as she glanced at the two strangers walking up to them.

"Ah, shit," someone muttered.

Quinn glanced amusedly at his roommate.

"Why are they—?" Ash began only to be cut off by Jez.

"Why, hello there, cousin." Jez smirked smugly at the look of pure annoyance on Ash's face.

"Jezebel." Ash gritted his teeth. Of _all_ the times he had to see her. Why at this deathly mission? So she could laugh at him when he's on his deathbed? _Hell_ no. "What are you doing here?"

"The same question that I was supposed to ask _you_," Jez answered, glaring at her cousin. He called her _Jezebel_. And he knows that she doesn't like it when she's called by her full name.

"I've got business to do," he answered in his laziest tone he knew Jez hated. "What about you?"

"Oh? What kind of business?" Jez asked, raising an eyebrow as she examined the other people in Ash's group and gritted her teeth. God, she _hated_ that tone.

"Just business that Dad had me doing." Ash replied, looking thoroughly irritated. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"You know," Jez examined her fingernails. "Just hanging out, doing some skiing. It was getting _unbearably_ hot down in California." She sighed dramatically. "And I needed to get out of Uncle Bracken's hair."

"You needed to get out of his hear, or he needed you out of his hair?"

"Haha," Jez scowled. "Don't think that I don't think the same thing about _you_. You annoy everyone you meet."

Ash's upper lip curled angrily. "At least I'm not a controlling bitch, _Jezebel_."

Jez opened her mouth to reply with a very colorful message when James stepped in between the fighting cousins.

"Hey, why don't you two cool off for a sec? You're drawing a lot of attention." James emphasized the last point with a pointed look at Ash. They did _not_ want any sort of attention _at all_ right now.

"Oh, hey James." Jez said, wondering how she didn't recognize her other distant cousin sooner.

James looked rather exasperated as he said, "Hi Jez. Now we have business to do so I would greatly appreciate it if you and your friend let us work our financial transactions in peace."

Jez nodded. She said her snarky goodbye to Ash who returned it and she and Morgead walked away.

"What's bothering you?" Morgead asked once they were out of earshot of the group.

"Ash's dad and Uncle Jasper would _never_ let Ash and James handle their financial transactions." Jez pulled on her heavy winter coat and went trudging out into the frigid snow. "Something's not right Morgead. Plus everyone in that group looked _way_ too young to be dealing in _finances_."

"So, what do we do?" Morgead asked. "What can we do? There must be a reason they didn't tell you what they are doing."

"I don't know Morgead. But I'm going to get down to the bottom of it." Jez promised. And Jez always kept her promises.

* * *

><p>Thea dragged her stuff into the lobby of the ski resort. Her blonde hair falling into her eyes as she struggled with the heavy wait of the duffle bag. "A little help here?" She asked over her shoulder to her best friend.<p>

"I would, but my stuff is just as heavy as yours." Gillian laughed breathlessly and gave her bags one last good heave over the threshold and into the warmth of the lobby.

"Ah, finally." Thea laughed. "I thought we were never going to get her."

"I know." Gillian smiled. "Maybe we shouldn't bring so much stuff next time."

"Maybe." Thea smiled. "Thank you, our room is 203." She added to the bellhop who would take their bags up to their room for them.

"I can't believe it! An actual bellhop! I haven't seen on of those since the Suite Life of Zach and Cody!" Gillian giggled.

"I used to love that show!" Thea gushed. "It was so funny!"

"I know! Let's go up to our room and get settled." Gillian took Thea's arm and they made their way up to their room.

"Wow, this place is amazing." Gillian said as she took in the room's dark wood paneling, amazing architecture, and the snack bar.

"I know! This month is going to go by so fast!" Thea practically ran over to the window to take in the view. "Come look at the mountains! And the trees! And all that snow!"

Gillian went to stand by her best friend. "Yes, it looks amazing. Too bad all places can't look like this. All pure and not totally polluted."

"Please, you think Phoenix is totally polluted. I've been to Detroit and New York City. We have very different ideas on polluted." Thea teased.

"Why do you travel so much anyway?" Gillian asked.

"Because." Thea turned to bag and started putting her clothes away in the dresser. "My cousin Blaise keeps getting us expelled from high schools. And I never even do _anything_. Its all Blaise, I just take the blame for it too, like a tool!" Thea angrily slammed the drawer. She took a deep breath and counted to ten three times. "I'm sorry. Blaise and I haven't exactly been on the best terms lately. She keeps disappearing at random intervals. Like, I'll wake up in the middle of the night to go get a drink of water and she'll be gone. And then she never tells me anything. We're supposed to be like sister's and she won't tell me _anything_!"

Gillian watched Thea cautiously as the taller girl began to angrily toss her clothes in the drawer, not caring about folding them or put them in any kind of order.

"I'm sorry. I know that's tough." Gillian winced, remembering her 'friend' who always used to forget her when she was supposed to pick her up for school or take her home.

"Yeah… At least I don't have to deal with Blaise anymore." Thea sighed in relief and put her empty bags into the corner of the room. "And at least we have each other!"

"Yeah! We do!" Gillian perked up instantly.

Thea glanced at Gillian's untouched bags. She looked at her with a small smile. "Need some help with that?"

Gillian looked down at her bag, shaking her head. "It'll be quick." With that said, she pulled out her clothes and began folding them neatly before placing them in the drawer.

"You want to go skiing first thing tomorrow morning?" Thea asked as she sat on her bed, smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles of the white sheets.

"Of course!" Gillian exclaimed with great enthusiasm. "But I don't really know how to ski…" she added almost dejectedly, putting the last of her trimly folded-clothes in the drawer.

"I don't either," Thea admitted. She plopped down on her bed, tiredly. "I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones who are from the West Coast. I mean, it gets really hot there."

Gillian shook off her shoes, dropping down on her bed as well. "I guess so." She yawned, rubbing her eyes.

Both girls shrugged out of their clothes and pulled on their pajama's. Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day.

Thea switched their lamp off. "Good night, Jill."

"Sweet dreams, Thea," Gillian said, already pulling the covers on her body.

* * *

><p><em>Bang. Bang. Bang.<em>

"You good there, David?" Eric asked as stealthily crouched beside David, reloading his handgun.

"Same old, same old," David replied as he fired his handgun again. They were practicing their aims in the dark "abandoned" room—part of their training. "You?"

Eric smirked and shot one of the dummies perfectly in the stomach. Had it been a real person, it would be enough to stop and wound a suspect but it wouldn't kill them. "Just about to save your butt."

"Hey, I can survive on my own." _Bang._

"You're taking too long. We only have ten minutes here, you know."

"I know." _Bang, bang_. "Finished," David announced as he wiped a light coat of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Whew, that was tiring."

Eric looked around warily, expecting more dummies to pop out. He stood up and stretched. "Come on. We've got to run back down."

"No elevators," David muttered with a sigh.

"Becoming an agent is never easy, anyways," Eric said as he headed out of the dimly lit room. He placed his handgun in his holster and continued to walk out of the room.

David quickly followed, also putting his handgun in his holster. He jogged lightly until he reached Eric—who was brisk-walking down the "abandoned" hallways. "We should start running if we want to have a decent time record." He didn't wait for Eric's reply and just began running down the emergency staircase.

Eric chuckled lightly and jogged after David.

They reached the staircase and they both pulled out their guns again, both on high alert.

David slowly opened the door, his eyes scanning the landing up and down for any signs of the practice dummies. He motioned for Eric to come closer with and of his brown head.

Eric inched towards the door, adrenaline pumping hard in his veins. He didn't need to be an agent not to like this silence. His ears pricked at every breath take and minute movement.

The hairs on the back of Eric neck prickled, and he slowly turned around. A dummy had suddenly appeared in the hallway behind them, without thinking, Eric shot.

"Go!" He snapped at David and they both threw themselves into the staircase and began sprinting down the steps, their adrenaline pumping faster than ever.

Around the turn they went, meeting more dummies they shot without hesitation.

Finally they reached the bottom landing. David threw himself through the door.

"David- _wait_!" Eric snapped. Sure enough there was a dummy, carried by wires on the ceiling, making its way toward David.

Eric shot. _Bang_!

David, spun around, startled for a moment before beginning to scan the perimeter too.

Eric came out of the stairwell, quietly closing the door behind him. "C'mon, let's get back to the training room."

"Sounds good to me." The two boys set off down the hall.

"Well done. Eight minutes is a respectable time." Their mentor and fellow agent, Keller told them.

Eric and David exchanged a celebratory high five, grinning at each other.

"However," their smiles faltered. "Did you take into consideration who you were shooting? Did you take a couple seconds to process who you were shooting?"

They exchanged uneasy glances.

"When you are in a building full of many dangerous criminals, you two are not going to be the only ones going in. You do not want to shoot your comrades on accident." Keller said sternly, her gray eyes looking like steel.

"Well… I'm sure in a real situation we would be able to distinguish between the other agents and our targets." Eric said.

"Will you? I remember an agent saying just that and when we made him and his partner go through this again, they shot just as many agents as they did suspects."

"Well there was no difference between one dummy and another!" David exclaimed.

Keller just calmly raised her black eyebrows. "But if there was would you see it?"

"Well let us back in there with distinguished dummies and let's see how well we do!" David demanded hotly.

"Dude." Eric stomped on David's foot. "Calm down." He hissed.

David slumped into a nearby chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'll let you two rest up for two days before sending you back into the practice course. With distinguished dummies." Keller cast an almost amused glance at David before exiting the room.

"What the hell was that?" Eric exploded once she was gone.

"It was our first time going through that thing and we don't even get a good job?"

"We got a respectable time! And we are supposed to get helpful criticism. That's what the whole thing is about! To get better!"

"I'm sorry." David slumped lower in his seat. "It's just I wish we got a 'good job' or a 'nice work' here and there. We are learning to put our asses on the line after all."

"I know what you mean, I do. But it comes with the territory, you know? Well get the highest of praises once we finally get our killing licenses." Eric said with a bit of sarcasm at the end.

"Yeah." David sighed.

"Well I have to get back to the K9 unit. It's time to feed Bud again." Eric checked his watch. "I'll see you tomorrow, partner."

"Hey, before you go, who do you think are the other partners Keller was talking about earlier?"

"I dunno… Probably Ash and Quinn."

David shrugged. "Probably. Yeah, I'll see you later man."

"Later." Eric walked out of the room to go attend to his other partner, Bud the German Shepard.

* * *

><p>"So Mr. Redfern, did you have a good day?"<p>

"Yes… I had a very interesting day."

"Interesting? Does that mean something was not to your liking?"

"Yes… I believe I saw one of Thierry Descoudres's agents. A tall dark haired male with a muscular build."

"Sir, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but that general description fits more than one person at the resort."

"So it may, but I wish everyone to be on their utmost vigilance."

"Yes, sir, always sir."

"Are you positive there are still no leads on my whereabouts?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Wonderful." The smile of a madman crossed Hunter Redfern's lips. "I should give you a raise, Blaise."

"That is very generous of you sir, but not necessary. Any updates I receive will be told to you immediately." Blaise Harman backed out of Hunter's office, her stomach churning. She faintly heard the sound of glass slamming against wood as she rounded the corner.

This was a dangerous job, no matter whose side she was on.

* * *

><p><strong>Eve: Well here you have it! :D Chapter numero uno of Ski Resort! We hoped you enjoyed it as mush as we enjoyed writing it! Please review! Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Cesca: Thank you, thank you, thank you guys for the reviews :D We really, really appreciate them! And yes, we had fun writing this (although I think Eve was the one to write most of this chapter—so double your gratitude for her! ^_^)! We even did research! That's how much we love this story. LOL. And do review please :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Ski Resort**

**Eve: Welcome back everyone! :D Cesca and I proudly present to you, chapter 2! :D YAY!**

**Cesca: *fist pump* What she said! x"D**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! :D We love you!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Two<p>

. . .

"Good morning, Mare!" Hannah smiled as she bustled around the room, getting everything ready for their first skiing lesson.

"Morning, Hannah." Mary-Lynnette groggily rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up on her side. "How long have you been up?"

"About… two hours." Hannah looked at the clock.

"Why didn't you get me up?" Mary-Lynnette flopped on the bed again.

"Because, I know you aren't a morning person." Hannah laughed. "You aren't much of a person really."

"Shut up." Mary-Lynnette threw her pillow at her best friend and fell back down.

"I swear you're an alien. You love the stars so much it's almost unhealthy! And you sleep until eleven everyday. Your home planet must have hours like Earth, only off a little different."

"Okay, Hannah you caught me." Mary-Lynnette said sadly with the right amount of hopelessness. "I'm a government project, taken from my home planet of Narnia in the Hogwarts sector. You can't tell anyone! Please! There are agents crawling around this place to keep me in line. If they find out you know, they'll kill us both!"

Hannah burst into laughter. "You could be an actress, you know."

Mary-Lynnette got up, laughing as well. "I would prefer to be," She struck a ridiculous pose, "a model."

Hannah laughed louder. "C'mon get dressed. Our first skiing lesson is soon."

"Okay." Mare chuckled. "You think I have time for a shower?"

"Knowing you, no."

"Too bad, I'm taking one anyway." Mary-Lynnette grabbed some towels from the closet next to the bathroom.

"Have fun." Hannah said sarcastically and started putting her hair into a low ponytail.

Ten minutes later, Mary-Lynnette stepped out of the shower and within five more minutes the girls were making their way out into the cold, white stuff.

Coming from Oregon and Montana, both girls knew how to navigate in snow, but apparently not everyone knew how too.

"Oh! Thank you! I'm such a klutz on ice." A tiny blonde girl with large violet eyes gripped Mary-Lynnette for support.

"No problem." Mary-Lynnette helped her to the safety of the front steps.

"Thanks. Ugh, I don't want to be here anyway. My parent's are trying to get me together with his guy." She rolled her eyes. "I barely know him so this is supposed to be 'bonding' time. Whatever."

"I hate it when parent's interfere with relationships." Mary-Lynnette exclaimed, remember Jeremy from back home and how her mom was constantly trying to hook them up.

"Me too. Anyway, thanks again. Maybe I'll see you guys around." Iliana waved and retreated went into the warmth of the lodge.

This was probably the stupidest idea her parents had ever had. Iliana didn't find snow at all romantic. In fact, she thought it nothing more than an annoyance on the North Carolina roads once a year.

And skiing on snow wasn't any better. Iliana was not an athletic person. Well, if you counted her ballet lessons. But other than that she was hopeless at any and every sport. And from what she had seen and heard about Galen he was probably going to want to go sledding down the side of the mountain. Then what was she supposed to do? Look like a fool and land herself in a hospital bed? Have Galen go by himself and wait around indoors?

_Ugh, stupid Galen. Stupid Galen's parent's money._ Iliana dragged herself in her heavy boots to the front desk.

Her stuff had arrived an hour before she had and was already in her room.

_At least I don't have to drag my stuff up to my room_, Iliana grumbled. _Damn, I sound like a spoiled priss. _

"I wonder where Galen is." Iliana mused as she opened her door. "Gee, Iliana you don't know where Galen is, that's new."

Galen had a talent for disappearing. He could vanish overnight without a trace. And he did this quite often.

And it annoyed the hell out of Iliana.

Here she was, trying to get along with this guy who was probably going to end up marrying her (as an arranged marriage of course) and she would go over to his house and he'd be gone. No note, no texts, no call, no _nothing_.

And not even an explanation when he came back. The _nerve_ of that boy.

"Well, Iliana, if he does it on this trip you'll just cut all ties. Because I am not doing this one more time." Iliana told herself.

* * *

><p>James was getting impatient. How long did it take to get a conference room ready? There's barely anything in there anyway!<p>

It was the second day of the agent's stay. Their first day had been considered a near success. If it hadn't been for that spat with Jez and Ash, it _would've_ been a success.

James loved his cousins, but they were so dysfunctional it's not even amusing anymore.

"File in everyone." Thierry told his agents.

_Finally_.

Agents had this protocol where whoever is the last person to enter a room, they look in the room they came from to see who might've saw them. James, being the last person in the line, peered into the lobby. Nothing.

"We're all clear." He announced.

All the agents relaxed in their seats, except for Thierry who stood opposite the door.

James turned off the lights and Thierry started a Power Point presentation. The first image was of the edge of the forest.

"Who can tell me what's wrong with this picture?" Thierry asked.

All of his agents scanned the image, taking in every detail.

"Over between those two pines with the broken branches that looks like a 'v' there are foot prints." Quinn pointed out.

Rashel glanced sideways at Quinn, her expression shocked and impressed.

"Excellent." Thierry changed the slide to the exact same image with the several tracks of footprints circled in red. "Now one of the shoe sizes we found is 11 and a half, which would mean one of the males is approximately six-two to six-four in height. Hunter Redfern in six feet, three inches.

"Now, I realize this isn't much to go on, but remember agents, Hunter Redfern is known to have a cabin in these woods around this area."

"But sir," James straightened up in his seat. "Do you really think that Hunter would be stupid enough to go out? He's a wanted criminal all over the world."

"Not stupid," Ash snorted. "Arrogant."

"Like you have room to talk about arrogance." Delos told him.

"Hey, at least I haven't been busted for the illegal things I do." Ash retorted.

"Ash, don't joke like that." Thierry snapped.

"I'm being perfectly serious." Ash replied.

Thierry rolled his eyes. "I want this investigated. No- not investigated, I want somebody to keep a constant watch on this, _at all times_. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." The Agents said in unison.

"You will take it in hourly shifts of two. Ash and Quinn, how about you two go first?"

"Yes, sir." The boys grumbled.

"Now, if you see anything suspicious, you contact the rest of us ASAP and record it."

"Yes, sir."

Thierry stared sternly at all of his agents. "Good luck."

The agents all filed out of the room, each going their separate ways, except for Ash and Quinn who set off in the snow, looking for a hideout.

Ash sighed, pushing his hands in his pockets as they continued to trudge down the snowy path. Thank God they were wearing thick jackets.

"You should be more…alert than," Quinn paused and looked at Ash's laid-back stance, "that, you know."

"I know, I know," Ash muttered. "I just don't feel like it. Plus if we're standing here all tense that'll be suspicious."

Quinn shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"You didn't warn me."

"But I did."

They glared at each other before grinning and chuckling. Ah, best friends. They continued to walk casually towards the forest, trying to appear as if they were just two curious males going inside the forest—when they're actually two outstanding agents, investigating for a hideout.

The snow was soft as they walked deeper in the forest, their jaws clenched tightly. Anxiously.

* * *

><p>"Come on, you idiot," Jez told Morgead, dragging him behind her.<p>

"Don't call me an idiot, you idiot," Morgead snapped although he let Jez pull him. He wouldn't dare admit that he was letting Jez _drag_ him. Never. "What, are we following your cousin again?"

"Is it obvious?" she asked sarcastically, following the two figures go down the forest.

"What the—where are we going?"

"The actual question is…where are _they_ going?" Jez murmured to herself, squinting as she watched Ash and that dark-haired guy trudge in the forest—looking…_interested_.

Ash was never interested in forests. Or any natural thing for that matter. He had always been interested in cars and girls. And Jez could _just_ tell that there won't be any cars or girls inside a damn forest.

So why was he looking so interested in a forest?

They disappeared in the forest. Jez grabbed Morgead's arm and dragged him towards the path the two idiots led them. She tried to follow silently. But with the snow being…well, snow and soft, her footsteps always end with soft _thumps_.

The trees were tall, the trunks were wide, and the roots were…scary. They were sticking up from the ground. Crooked and thick, the roots appeared as if they were out to grab you. Compared to the white snow, the trunks of the trees looked almost black and very, very dark. It was…eerily beautiful. And it…can also be used for _traps_.

The thought made her shiver.

"You cold?" Morgead asked quietly. He had the feeling that he should be quiet. Why wouldn't he be quiet? They were following those two figures for whoever's sake! That Ash-guy and that other guy. Hell, he doesn't even know why he's been dragged into this.

"No," she muttered. Jez gulped silently. Her hand slid from his arm to his warm hand, gripping it. Surprisingly, Morgead squeezed her hand as well. Jez gritted her teeth, frustrated.

Damn.

While she was looking at the strange-looking trees, she lost sight of the other two—

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

Ah, shit.

Jez plastered a smile on her face as she turned around to face…this man.

Well, at least he's not Ash.

"Can't two teenagers have fun in the forest?"

"Get out."

"No." Jez gritted her teeth. No way in hell, heaven, or earth is she letting Ash get away from her that easily. "We're looking for some friends—"

"So you've got friends in here, too?" Then the man began muttering.

Jez glared. The man had the _nerve_ to be rude to her. The man had dark brown hair; some were a dark gray now. His eyes were…cunning. The old man seems cunning. The old man was lean and had a strong appearance. He looked to be around his very late-thirties. And he was wearing those Blue tooth earpieces. The ones that agents use in movies…"Look, old man. Let me finish—"

He was already pushing them out of the forest. "Get out—"

"This is a free country—"

"I don't care. Get out."

_Crunch_.

Jez punched him in the jaw. The man stumbled back, rubbing his jaw.

The man glared, crouching in a stance. "Get the _fuck_ out. Or else."

"Bitch, don't talk to me like that." Jez crouched in a stance as well. She may be a girl, but she had _never_ been a damsel in distress. She glared, matching the man's defiant stare. Luckily, she brought a plastic knife with her. She got it from the resort while she and Morgead were "stabbing" each other in the cafeteria. She only hoped that this man had no weapon.

"Get out. This is your last chance, punk." The man spat at her. "Boss, problem at hand. Stubborn teenagers won't get off the territory."

Jez frowned, gritting her teeth, trying to not lash at this asshole. This motherfucker. "_No_. It's not like we'll disturb anyone. It's not like anyone is _in_ here anyway." How come they saw _her_ but not Ash and that other dude?

Maybe they were here at the right place, and at the right time.

But, unfortunately for Morgead and her, they were here at the wrong place, and at the wrong time.

"You asked for it." He pulled out a gun. A _gun_! Seriously, who carries a gun in forests? Unless there was actually something _top secret_ here in this forest.

So much for her hopes about this old geezer not having a weapon. A stick would've been fine for him. But a _gun_. Her plastic knife has absolutely no chance against his handgun.

Morgead gritted his teeth, also crouching in a stance. He was almost itching to step in front of Jez. But he knew that Jez would just shove him away—and then that distraction will give this stranger the perfect time to shoot one of them.

He can't let that happen.

"Boss," the man muttered as he aimed his gun at Jez—nonchalantly, "Should I shoot them?" His gaze slid towards Morgead and then back to Jez. "No, the other one's a boy." The old man gritted his teeth. "Alright. Whatever you say, boss."

The old man sighed, switching his aim at Morgead instead. "If I were to be followed, I would've let you go," he said to Morgead. "But, unluckily, I'm not the one to be followed. The boss wants to keep this punk," he nodded his head towards Jez, "and wants me to eliminate you."

Jez and Morgead exchanged looks. Worried looks. Morgead…was about to die. To be murdered.

The man sighed again. "Well, let's get this over with." He was raised the gun and his forefinger was about to press on it. He smiled wickedly. Bloodlust was in his eyes. Morgead glared, his heart beating rapidly.

_Oh God, I'm about to die_, Morgead thought as he glanced at Jez. Jez was glaring at the man. Her hands were in fists, her silvery blue eyes in narrow slits as the man smiled wider, his forefinger putting pressure on the trigger when—

_Bang_. The gun was shot out the man's grip.

"Run!"

Jez didn't care who saved them. Nor did Morgead.

They exchanged quick glances before rushing towards the man. Morgead sent a hard blow on the man's stomach, making the man stumble backwards, towards the roots. And then Jez rushed behind Morgead, aiming for the man's face.

"Asshole," she muttered, hearing a loud _crunch_ as the man's nose bled. Jez had the happiest feeling that she broke his nose. She was about to give him a kick in the balls when—

_Snap_.

Both Morgead and Jez staggered backwards, falling on the soft snow as they watched a huge net suddenly spring up from the ground, capturing the old man and holding him up.

A trap.

The troublemakers were examining the trap, the man was grunting but then…he just fainted. Maybe the damages they did were good enough to make him faint. Ha! Serves that bastard right.

"What the hell are you doing here, you idiots?"

The two glanced behind them and quickly got up to their feet. It was the dark-haired guy who was with Ash earlier.

"Going to have fun in the forest," Jez answered.

"And look how this so-called 'fun' almost got you," the dark-haired guy said.

They were silent.

"Don't try and follow us," he continued as he walked towards the man in the net. "It's a good thing Ash and I were only a few distances away. You two were lucky. If you do this again, you wouldn't be _too_ lucky. Hell, you might not even _be_ lucky."

The dark-haired boy reached up and sent a quick but hard punch up to the man's leg, trying to see if the man is _really_ unconscious. When the man stayed unconscious, Quinn jumped up—really high, grabbing the branch where the net was set. He pulled out a knife as Jez and Morgead watched curiously.

"Go."

"What _are_ you guys?"

"_Jezebel_."

"Ash."

"Great, you're here," the dark-haired boy said from the branch. "I need you to call…the others. Or at least some—" The dark-haired boy sent Ash a look that meant "backup" in agent language. "And tell your cousin to get back to the resort, will you? She's a stubborn girl. That I must say."

"Ash, this is _not_ a financial things." Jez crossed her arms. "I'm—_we're_—not leaving until one of you explains to us what you are."

"It's a job, alright? A job we get paid for." Ash grabbed his cousin's arm and pulled on her. "Now come on—"

Jez jerked her arm from him. "No. _Tell_ me what you are. Or else…" she paused, quickly thinking of something to say, "…we won't tell you what this man told us before he decided to kill Morgead and I."

A total lie.

But it appears as if their "job" is related to that asshole in the net. So why not use him as a tool to make Ash confess whatever the truth is?

"Quinn," Ash looked up at the branch—uncertainty crossing his features.

Quinn had a thoughtful look on his face as well. "Call the others. No, call T—our boss." He stopped himself from saying Thierry's name. Some people might hear…

Ash frowned and glanced at Jez and Morgead. "Stay here. Don't move." He jogged towards Quinn and they began to have a hushed conversation.

"If we can't get anything out of this man, I think we'll just use her." Quinn was sitting on the branch. "Hurry up and call for backup. We can't stay here for too long. I have a feeling that Hunter's going to send someone out for this little fucker."

"But…she's sly. She's a good liar. A natural bitchy actress." Ash had a feeling that Jez was…being Jez.

"Well, whatever. We'll figure something out. It's not like she'll blurt the secret out."

Ash gritted his teeth and grimly nodded. "Let's get Th—our boss to handle this."

"Go call—"

"_OI!_ What the hell are you doing here?" A man suddenly appeared in the thicket of branches.

Jez and Morgead exchanged looks and began running out of the forest—as fast as they can what with the snow nearly a foot thick. Which wasn't as fast. But it was enough since the man was a bit too far from them.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Quinn swiftly pulled out his gun and shot the man's gun out of his hand from fifteen feet away. The man dropped his gun somewhere in the snow. He quickly jumped down from the branch and began running after Jez and Morgead as well. As he was running, he pushed his gun inside his thick jacket.

Ash glanced back and pulled out his own gun, shooting the man on the right arm. He figured that it was the man's dominant hand since Ash saw him holding his gun with his right hand. They would be safe. For now.

He forced himself to run faster, pushing his gun inside his jacket as well.

Once Ash reached the safe path of the resort, he saw that Quinn, Jez, and Morgead were panting and trying to regain their breathing just in front of the building.

"We didn't get the man," Ash panted. "Thanks to you." He glared at Jez.

"Hey, thanks to _us_, the man was actually _in_ that net," Jez argued. She crossed her arms, her lips a bit chapped and dry because of the cold temperature.

"Thanks to me, the man didn't kill you two," Quinn muttered.

"Thanks to you two, we didn't find the hideout," Ash grumbled.

"There's no point in arguing, morons," Morgead glowered. He pushed his hands in his pockets. "We almost died in there. What the hell is it with you people and guns?"

They were all whispering, because they didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. It was safer this way. They were almost to the ski resort now. But, instead, they were outside the ski resort, trying to regain their breathing and fix their disheveled appearances.

"Let's get inside. We _must_ discuss this with Thierry," Quinn ordered as he turned his back and began walking towards the ski resort.

* * *

><p>Eric wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.<p>

They were doing their case exercises. Actually, David, Eric, and this other trainee are finished with the "hunting-down-the-criminal" shit. Now, they're in the moot court—where they present the evidence they gathered from the "criminal" they captured.

David wiped a hand over his brow and focused on what Eric was saying.

"The criminal is guilty because his finger prints matched the ones on the M1911A1 pistol that we recovered during the first encounter we had with him. We went into the lab afterwards, checking for the fingerprints—and luckily enough, we found his identity." Eric took a deep breath and continued to explain their evidence and investigations.

An hour later, both guys exited the moot court with tired sighs.

"Great job, you two," Keller said with a very small hint of smile, her arms crossed as she leaned on the wall.

Eric rubbed his neck, smiling a bit coyly because finally, _finally_ one of their superiors acknowledged the hard work they did.

"Thanks Keller." David grinned.

Keller nodded and her phone suddenly buzzed. She fished in her coat pocket and pulled out her Blackberry.

"I need to take this." Keller said, using the tone that meant "this is official shit, don't bother me".

She walked away into the shadows of the room by force of habit before answering her phone.

"_What_?" Keller hissed into the phone, her emotional control snapping for a second. It wasn't a loud outburst, but it was loud enough for Eric and David's carefully tuned ears to pick up.

When she came back, Keller looked tenser than they had ever seen her. Keller wasn't uptight, but she was just… on her guard all the time. But now, she looked like she was on offense, not defense.

"Come with me. I have an assignment for you." Keller told them.

Neither of them questioned her. It must be really important if they were getting a mission when they were still only rookies. Even if they did excellent on the case exercises.

"What's up?" Eric asked when they reached The Room.

The Room was designed like a police interrogation room. A table in the center (with the little hooks to attach handcuffs to and everything) a couple of metal chairs and a lamp hanging above it all. It was nicknamed The Room because it was 'the room' where all the agents were assigned their missions—if they happened to be at headquarters.

"You two are aware of the mission to capture Hunter Redfern?" Keller asked.

"Yes. The best agents are incognito in a ski resort up north, right?" David said.

Keller nodded. "Yes. Well apparently they've been discovered."

"By who?" Eric and David asked in unison. They've never been on a real mission, but they knew being discovered could lead to many horrible, horrible things.

Keller's lips pulled back in an ironic smirk. "That boys, is what you are going to find out."

* * *

><p><strong>DUN, DUN, DAHHHH!<strong>

**Eve: Okay I'll stop being a spaz now. I hope you liked the chapter! Took us long enough right? My fault, my own most grievous fault. I'll stop quoting City of Bones now okay lol.**

**On a serious note, I would like to bring to your attention that tomorrow is the 10****th**** anniversary of 9/11 and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was affected by the tragic event.**

**Okay seriousness over. NOW BACK TO YOU CESCA! :D**

**Cesca: *nods and bows head in prayer* ~after 2 minutes~ We're sorry it took long! We both have hectic schedules and we—yeah. So, uh, without further ado, we ask for a review…? A penny for your thoughts…? Er, yeah. **

**THANKS GUYS FOR REVIEWING/SUBSCRIBING/FAVING THIS STORY! :D We appreciate it a bunch! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 3

**Ski Resort**

Chapter Three

. . .

Thierry could not get a day off. He could have the illusion that he was on vacation, but in reality, every day was just another mission.

He woke up this morning to a bright day, slightly muted by the clouds, but beautiful nonetheless. A nice, hot shower and an excellent coffee promised a wonderful day.

No terrible news in the paper and no news yet from the agents only reinforced his hope for a normal day. Riding on this hope, he decided to brush up on his skiing skills; after all, you never know when you'll be sledding down a mountain with bad guys on your tail.

Still, he didn't think about that as he rented a pair of skis and head out.

He _thought_ he could finally relax when two beautiful young women walked up to him and asked him where the beginning skiers were supposed to go. He thought he could loosen up when he said he didn't know but offered to show them the basics, because he was a damn good skier.

He was a little disappointed when the girls politely refused, but after all, they didn't know he was one of the most trusted FBI agents in the world. And he remembered they never would.

"I think the beginners slope is over there." The brunette girl pointed to what Thierry already knew was the bunny hill. He just hadn't said so because, well, the blonde girl was _very_ attractive.

"I think you're right Mare!" The blonde grinned excitedly. "You are so smart."

"Well that's not what my IQ says." The brunette, "Mare", joked.

Thierry doubted the girl's IQ was low; he had taken many mental notes of the things her sharp eyes had picked up regarding his agents. Hopefully, she wasn't always this observant. The blonde—he really needed this girl's name—was just as sharp, but didn't seem to be filing things away the way Mare and Thierry were.

"I'm sorry ladies, I've been terribly rude. I'm Thierry, and you are?" He held out his hand to the blonde.

The blonde smiled and took his hand. "Hello Thierry, I'm—"

"Thierry!" Thierry's ears perked at the sound of his name.

"Ash?" He turned to see his agents Ash and Quinn dragging the redhead and black-haired boy from the lobby behind them. Of course the normality of his day couldn't last. "What's going on here?"

Ash sighed exasperatedly and opened his mouth to speak. He finally noticed the two girls with Thierry, and without any sign of rewording his speech said, "We need something settled right now."

"Right here, right now?" Thierry asked, though he knew if his agents were bringing something, or some_one_, to him, it was urgent.

"Yes." Ash answered firmly. Thierry motioned for him to continue and said, "If you're on vacation and just happen to see some old family, do you think it's really necessary for said family to _stalk you_ because they think your reasons for being on vacation are shady?"

"We were _not_ stalking you." The redhead—Jez, Thierry remembered—cried indignantly.

Ash snorted. "Then what would you call it?"

Jez thought for a moment. "I was just observing you."

"You followed us into the woods!" Quinn retorted.

"What were you doing in the woods?" The brunette cut in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were a part of this conversation." Ash snapped.

He must be in a really bad mood to speak to a pretty girl like that, Thierry thought.

"Well you butt into ours so I think that kind of gives us the right." Mare replied in a similar fashion.

"On what grounds?" Ash asked angrily.

"On the grounds that you are bringing your family issues to a third party because you are clearly not capable of settling things on your own. It's _extremely_ petty and immature."

"You don't know _anything_ about my family, but if we did try to settle this on our own, people would end up _dead_; so I think we're being _extremely_ reasonable and mature for bringing it to a third party so people don't get hurt."

The four onlookers watched them go back and forth like a tennis match. Thierry noted the worried look on the blonde's face and the way she put her hand on her friend's arm as if to restrain and/or comfort her.

"What kind of family would really kill each other?" The brunette asked. It was almost a whisper, but Thierry, Quinn, and Ash all had highly trained ears and heard her perfectly.

"One you know nothing about." Ash answered, just as quietly.

That one clearly hit the girl straight in the pride and she turned and said, "Let's go," to her blonde friend.

The blonde waited till her friend was a couple steps away before saying, "I'm sorry, she just lost her mother. The whole 'family' subject is still really sensitive."

"If she's still grieving then why's she on vacation?" Ash asked, looking more calm, but icier.

"It's my fault; I thought it would take her mind of things." The blonde said, looking guilty. "I better go, before she starts thinking too much."

With that, the girl took off after her friend.

Thierry turned to Ash and said, "In my office. And this better be good."

As they marched back to his office, Thierry realized, he never got her name. Sighing in disappointment, he turned and opened the door for his agents and guests. He was still in his skiing suit, but he could care less if he didn't look as professional. Thierry was never the one to care about such things anyway.

Ash, Quinn, and the other two stood in front of his desk while he eased himself on his soft armchair, placing his elbows on the desk and looking intently at the two troublemakers. And surprisingly, he wasn't referring to Ash and Quinn. "Well?"

"These two followed us in the woods while you assigned us to a task," Quinn explained, his arms crossed.

"And, apparently, Jezebel and her boyfriend has some information they'd like to share with us," Ash finished, suspiciously looking at his cousin. "Right, Jezebel?"

"_Jez_," she said through gritted teeth. "It's Jez and Morgead _is not_ my boyfriend."

Thierry calmly observed Jez's frustration towards Ash. Obviously there was a lot of bad blood there, but Thierry couldn't tell if it was family history or really personal.

The redheaded female stepped closer, almost haughtily, to meet Thierry's fixed gaze with a bold one. "If we tell you the information about…that guy, will you tell us what you guys do for a living?"

Behind her, Thierry noticed Morgead glaring at them, his posture was tense and guarded, like he had something to hide.

"What about the information?" Thierry asked, leaning closer.

"Actually, I was planning to exchange information for information." Jez crossed her arms, and put on her best poker face. "In order to get this information," she said, preparing herself for more stalling, "I want to know what my cousin is doing."

"Oh, for the love of—"Ash bit his curled fist when Thierry sent him a warning look.

"Of course," Thierry said thoughtfully. "Go ahead and tell us the information and I'll gladly tell you what your cousin does."

Thierry could see the possibilities flash in her eyes. He wondered what she thought they were up to. Perhaps drug dealing, maybe being involved in some kind of gang, either way, she seemed desperate to find out.

Desperate, but still cautious. "How can I trust you?" Jez asked.

"How can I trust _you_?" Thierry shot back, not even batting an eyelash.

Thierry kept his eyes level with hers, though in the edges of his vision, Ash's mouth was open, ready to say exactly why they shouldn't trust Jez, however Quinn cut him off with a warning look.

Thierry wasn't so sure about trusting her himself; the waves of uneasiness rolled off her and seemed to roll onto Morgead, for he was starting to look concerned as well.

The two exchanged a look, and Jez shot him a confident nod.

"I don't have all day," Thierry said, mostly to test her new-found resolve.

"Fine, you know what?" Jez said her voice icy. "I won't tell you the information." She already had her back on Thierry without hearing his respond. "Come on, Morgead."

The duo started heading out of the office when Thierry called, "Don't get involved in this!" And then, Morgead shut the door.

Thierry rubbed his temples and sighed through his nose. "So I heard one of you called for backup?" he asked, ignoring the fact that Jezebel and Morgead wasted eleven minutes of his precious time. "Give me a full report."

"We were almost caught by two of Hunter's men," Ash stated.

Thierry had always believed that they were that irresponsible. And he was right.

"We had to rescue Jezebel and Morgead from being killed," Quinn muttered, running a hand through his hair. "We slipped in through the traps they set up, until they came and followed us. Then, a man scouting around the area discovered those two. Luckily, I was slightly behind Ash and had seen the commotion they were making. We called for backup because his cousin," he nodded once to a scowling Ash, "was being defiant about everything and Hunter must've sent another man of his to see what had happened to his other man."

"Both men were armed; it was a good thing no one got hurt," Ash added. He smirked, gaining some of his bravado back. "Well, except for Hunter's men. They were injured. A bit."

At this, Thierry had to smile and shake his head. "And the backup was for?"

"We're going to use the backup to see if we've been discovered. So far, our stay here hasn't been the best," Quinn said with a shrug. "The backup is supposed to arrive this evening."

"Ah," Thierry murmured, his mind spinning and playing with different ideas for the backups. "How many are there?"

"Just two are available," Quinn said.

Thierry could feel Ash scrutinizing his appearance, as if just registering his boss was in a ski suit.

"You think one of them can keep an eye on Jezebel and Morgead?" Thierry asked, raising an eyebrow and ignoring Ash.

Quinn shrugged. "You're the boss. But I'm sure they can. Keller was confident they would do well with this task."

Thierry waved a dismissive hand, smiling and shaking his head. "You boys are dismissed."

Ash and Quinn nodded, doing a simultaneous about face and walking towards the door.

As Quinn pushed the door open and strolled outside, Ash paused by the entrance and glanced over his shoulder, smirking at Thierry. "Nice suit, boss." He looked like he wanted to laugh.

Thierry rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he muttered while Ash jogged out of his office. He was probably afraid of getting fired for insulting his skiing suit, or maybe wanting to get out of the room before he laughs out loud. He sighed and sank in his armchair.

* * *

><p>As they walked down the hallway, trying to get as much distance between them and that office as possible, Morgead was thinking hard.<p>

Thierry's warning echoed in his mind and the more he thought, the more resolute he was about deciding to keep the warning in mind.

He could tell, despite all her grumbling, that Jez had secretly heeded the warning as well.

Although, both he and Jez were certain that they won't respect Thierry's advice.

"So what now?" Morgead asked, as they went back out into the snow.

"Now? We wait for another opportunity." Jez said.

"Jez… We almost died today. Do you really want to be scouting for another opportunity?"

Jez turned on him, her eyes shocked and furious, "Don't tell me you're not dying to know what's going on here either!"

"I am! Believe me, this mystery is burning a hole in my brain, but Jez, it's not smart to go back in after being out for only four minutes!"

Jez pursed her lips at him, thinking over his words. She angrily looked out at the trees, a different part than the one they'd been in earlier, but he knew that's what she was seeing.

"Jez, you know these guys are smart. You've said a thousand times your family is full of Don Juan's and geniuses. Why can't they be both? And that's a dangerous combination." Morgead sighed, "So why don't we lay low for the next two days, relax for a bit, then get back into it?"

"Because a lot can happen in two days." Jez said. "But I see your point. Fine, we'll play it safe, _for now_."

That was all Morgead needed to hear.

* * *

><p><strong>Eve: AND HERE IT IS. After MONTHS AND MONTHS of no updates, WE HAVE FINALLY UPDATED! :D We hoped you enjoyed the chapter as much as we liked writing and fangirling over it ;D<strong>

**Cesca: HIII everyone :3 thanks so much for reading! ^-^ Eve and I really appreciate it! And thanks for subscribing/reviewing :] Until next time! ;D**

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